Let Me Go down in the Mud
by PuddlemerePoppy
Summary: Juniper thought she was only stepping out for a quick beer run, but the weather and fate have other plans. Is she strong enough to make it through the tasks ahead? Will she ever get home? And most importantly, will she ever be able to drink her beer?
1. London Calling

Hello everyone! Thanks for stopping by and checking out my newest story. I'm not sure where this is going yet, so it should be rather interesting to see. Hope you like it!

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><p>The sky overhead was slowly darkening into a stormy grey, the breeze picking up and rustling the colorful, fall leaves. Juniper eyed the sky warily, as she picked up her pace. She was alone on the quiet, suburban street. The weather was distinctly fall-like and the cool, crisp breeze was ruffling the short strands of her black hair. She blew a few stray pieces out of her eyes before sighing.<p>

'I'm never going to make it home before it rains,' she thought. She pulled her hood up securely over her head. She wasn't very far from home, but it was far enough that if it decided to rain, she would end up completely soaked. She was regretting the decision to leave her very dry flat. Her roommate had convinced her that going on a beer run would be a good idea. Of course, he didn't get off of the couch to join her on her walk. And of course, she had decided that walking would be a much better idea than taking the car. She sighed again and switched the twelve-pack to her other hand. It was getting heavy and she was getting cold. Her hoodie was failing terribly at keeping out the cold wind.

The silence of the street had been nice before, but now it was beginning to seem a little creepy. The on-setting darkness was causing the streetlamps to come on. Their yellow glow provided little comfort to the young woman. She cringed as she felt the first drops of rain on her nose. She increased her pace. She was walking as fast as possible without running, but she felt as if she wasn't moving very fast at all. The sky suddenly opened above her and the rain began to fall in torrents. She let out a screech and began to run, the case of beer bumping uncomfortably against her leg.

'If he complains about it being foamy, I'm going to kill him,' she thought, desperately searching for some sort of shelter. She continued to run down the street until she realized that she was lost. She stopped immediately and looked around. The houses were very old and were not in the best condition. She knew this was not the place to be loitering around. She dug into her pocket, trying to find her phone. She panicked when she felt nothing. Dropping the beer to the ground, she patted down her hoodie and her jean pockets, front and back. All she felt was the change from the beer.

"Are you serious?" she cried, throwing out her arms. "Why didn't I bring my purse?" She pictured her roommate, all snug on the couch watching the television dramas that he loved. She felt tears burning behind her eyes, but rubbed them away. "It's only a bit of rain, Juniper. It's not like it's going to kill you," she told herself. Her self-pep talk made her feel better, but she was still worried. She had no idea where she was. She desperately tried to find a street sign that would inform her where in London she was, but the rain and the darkness were obscuring her vision.

She scanned the houses to her left and frowned. None of them had any lights on at all, and she didn't really want to find out if anyone was actually home. She was already completely soaked through, so she decided that she would simply find somewhere relatively dry to sit and wait out the storm. She glanced at the other side of the street, but there were no good places there either. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she could have sworn that she saw something move. She quickly looked back and saw a house that she didn't think was there before. But that was silly. Houses didn't just appear. But this house had a light on.

'They must have just turned it on,' she thought. She stood on the sidewalk for a moment, trying to decide what to do. 'Well, it's worth a try." She picked up the case of beer and made her way over to the house. The house was very old looking and didn't appear to be in the best condition. Actually, the whole house looked like it may collapse at any moment. She climbed the front stairs and stared at the front door. It was very worn and looked stupidly heavy for a typical front door. There were no handles, only a silver door knocker in the shape of a snake. Juniper stared at the door for a moment before reaching out to grab the knocker.

"I just need to find a phone," she told herself. "I just need to call the fat loser at home so he can pick me up. That's it." She sucked in a deep breath and hit the knocker against the door. The loud bangs made her flinch. She was sure she just woke up half the neighbors in the area. She waited patiently for a few minutes before she could feel herself glaring angrily at the door. 'So, there are lights on, but no one can answer the door? Maybe they're not home…' She sighed and plopped herself down on the doorstep. Looking out at the street, she could see the rain had only begun to fall harder. She shivered and tried to wrap the drenched hoodie closer to her. At least it was dry on the little stoop. Her eyes landed on the wet cardboard that used to be a beer case. There was no way she was going to be able to carry it now. She shrugged and gently pulled it open, the cardboard so wet that it simply peeled away. She grabbed a bottle and opened it, using her hoodie to help twist off the cap. It opened with a satisfying hiss and she smiled for the first time since she had left home.

"Well, at least I've got this to entertain myself," she said, bringing the bottle up to her lips.

After what felt like hours, she heard a noise from inside. She looked up at the door, not sure if someone had finally realized she was there. "Now they're going to think I'm a drunk on their steps," she groaned, looking at her half empty beer bottle. She quickly scooped it up and was about to throw it in the bushes when the huge door opened. She stopped mid toss, her arm awkwardly in the air holding the bottle, when she felt eyes on her. She looked to the doorway and was surprised to see a boy who couldn't be any older than herself. He stared at her, his grey eyes boring into her.

"Can I help you?" he asked, one hand on the door and the other fiddling with some kind of stick. She stared back at him before finally lowering her arm.

"Err…" she smartly replied. She glanced down at the bottle in her hand. "Beer?" she asked, smiling. He continued to stare at her for a moment before slowing closing the door. Juniper smacked herself out of her daze and ran towards the door. "No! Please wait! I'm sorry! I'm lost!" she cried. She tried to push at the door, but the boy pulled it open at the same time. She lost her balance and tumbled inside onto the floor. They continued their staring contest, though she was looking rather sheepish now. "Do you have a phone I can borrow?" she asked, still laying sprawled on her back as she looked up at him.


	2. Crimson and Clover

Holy crap guys! A bunch of reads and a review within only a couple hours. I definitely apprecitate it! I would tip the glass of wine I'm drinking to you, but I'd most likely spill it. Carry on!

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><p>The boy finally broke off their staring contest by rolling his eyes. He reached down a hand, presumably to help her up. She took it and he pulled her up in one yank. She brushed her short hair out of her eyes and smiled. He didn't return it; instead he was still eyeing her with a strange and almost distrustful look. Her smile faltered and she was definitely wondering if she had made a very bad decision. She dug her hands into her pockets and looked down at the ground. There was a small puddle forming around her feet. She looked up when she heard him closing the door. She was about to protest about the beer being left in the rain, but she saw that he had already moved it into the house.<p>

"So, you're lost?" He asked. He was standing with his arms crossed, still looking at her like she was insane. She was feeling very uncomfortable and the strange house wasn't helping things at all. There were weird portraits whose eyes she could swear were watching her and some kind of ugly heads on the wall. She tore her eyes from the décor and brought them back to the boy. She nodded, biting her lip.

"I'm sorry. I must look a mess. I don't know where I am. I was just at home at my flat with my roommate and I decided to go get some booze," she took a break from her tangent and motioned to the disintegrating box on the ground. "Then it started to pour and I was lost and I don't know how to get home and I forgot my phone and-" He cut her off by waving his hand. She thought she saw a tiny smile pulling at the sides of his mouth.

"Slow down," he said. "I don't know if I can help you very much." At this, her face fell. She nodded and walked towards the door.

"That's alright," she said, running a hand through her wet hair. "I'll just be off then."

"Wait," he said. She stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him. He was silent for a few seconds and looked very torn. "You can stay until the rain stops," he said. She grinned.

"Thank you so much! I won't be a bother, I swear!" she said, beaming at him. He nodded and sighed.

"Well, this way then," he said, motioning to one of the doorways. He walked into the room and she quickly followed, making sure to grab her beer. He led her down some stairs and into a large room, which was obviously a kitchen, but it wasn't like any kitchen that she had ever seen before. Everything in it was very old fashioned and she didn't see anything resembling a microwave at all.

"You're house is very big," she said, spinning around so she could see all of the enormous room. He nodded and pulled out a chair at the large wooden table in the center of the room. She simply watched him for a moment before he rolled his eyes and motioned to the seat.

"Oh, thanks," she said, sitting down. She placed the mushy cardboard case on the table and watched as he took a seat across from her.

"I have a few questions," he said, folding his arms on the table. She frowned, but nodded. She was intruding, so she guessed it was the least she could do to answer some questions.

"Ok, shoot," she said, leaning back in the chair. He watched her for a moment with the same strange look from before.

"How did you find this house?" He asked, watching her every move. She raised an eyebrow.

"Well, this was the only house with lights on, so I decided to see if someone was home. I have no idea how I managed to go down this street. I must have overshot the street I take to my flat," she replied.

"And you didn't notice anything strange?" he persisted. She shook her head.

"I didn't see the lights here at first. I figured someone had just turned them on when I was looking the other way," she said. "These are rather weird questions, aren't they?" she asked. This was definitely becoming a strange and uncomfortable encounter. He blinked in surprise.

"I'm sorry," he said. "It's just that we do not usually get visitors off the street."

"Oh," she said, looking down at her hands. She abruptly stood up and grabbed her box. "Well, I really should be going," she said. He stood up as well and she began to feel a little panicked. "So sorry to bother you." She quickly walked towards the door, but she was stopped by a hand on her arm.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you leave yet," he said, reaching into his pocket for something. Juniper didn't want to wait around to see what it was. She pulled her arm out of his grip and dropped the beer to the ground. She wasn't very concerned about it at this point.

"Don't touch me!" she cried, attempting to sprint towards the front door. Unfortunately, she slipped on the puddle of water she had created earlier. She fell onto the floor, her head hitting the stone floor quite hard. Her vision was swimming, but she knew that she had to get out of the house. The boy had caught up with her and was now pointing a small stick at her. 'Why does he have a stick?' she asked herself through her panic. 'A stick? Seriously? What does he think he is, a wizard? What have I gotten myself into?'

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said, rolling his eyes again. "I can't let you leave here without modifying your memory." She immediately stopped her cowering and stared at him.

"What?" she asked, her voice cracking slightly. She hastily wiped the tears from her face. She had no idea that she had been crying.

"You are obviously a muggle, and I can't let anybody just run around knowing about Grimmauld Place," he said, lifting his wand. She simply stared at him, her mouth hanging open. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was sure she looked like a fish.

"Wait just a minute," she said, waving her hands in disbelief. "Grimmauld Place? Does that make you a wizard? And a Black at that?" She buried her face in her hands. "I'm dead!" she cried. "Or dreaming, but probably dead!" She didn't notice that he had let his arm fall back to his side.

"What are you carrying on about?" he asked, his face a picture of utter confusion. "How do you know about this place and my family?" She peered at him through her fingers, her sobs quieter.

"What's your name?" she asked. He watched her warily before answering.

"Regulus," he replied. There was a moment of silence before she fell into another fit of sobs.

"I've gone insane!" she yelled, falling completely to the floor.

"Pull yourself together," he said, moving closer to her. At this point, she was limp on the ground, her arms and legs sprawled out in strange angles. He rolled his eyes for what felt like the millionth time tonight and bent down to her level. "Come on." He stuck his arms underneath her and picked her up. He was very happy to find that she didn't retaliate or punch him. She was still muttering strange things and crying, but he figured it was a start. He walked back down the stairs into the kitchen and deposited her into one of the chairs at the table. She sat there silently, her head down on the table.

"Now you need to tell me how you know all of this," he said. She didn't reply or look at him until she heard a dull thunk on the table. She looked up to see that he had placed two of her beers on the table. "Can you please calm down now?" He asked, almost pleadingly. She sniffled and nodded, grabbing the beer. She twisted off the cap and took a long sip.

"Please don't kill me –hic- or wipe my –hic- memory," she said, looking at him with very depressing eyes. He wrestled with the cap of his own drink for a minute before popping it off.

"Why would I kill you?" he asked, his tone very impatient.

"Because you don't like muggles," she said, still sounding very depressed.

"I let you into my house, didn't I?" he replied.

"You could have been just trying to trap me," she countered. He let out a frustrated sigh.

"Oh shut up," he said, losing patience very quickly. "Now I need to know how you know so much about this place."

"Lots of people know about everything in this world," she said, downing the rest of her beer.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "This world?" She nodded.

"I mean the Harry Potter world, but you wouldn't know anything about him. Where I come from, the muggle world I guess, you and your family and the whole wizarding world is just a story. It's not real. There's no way I can be here. And what year is it? You must be my age at the moment." She rested her head on her hand and watched him closely.

"It is March18 th, 1979. Is this different from what you think it should be?" he asked, very perplexed by the turn of events. She sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"When I left my flat today, it was September 25th, 2010," she replied, her voice low. They both sat in silence for a long while, until he broke it with the question they were both thinking.

"So you've traveled back in time?" he asked. She shrugged.

"I have no idea," she replied. "It's not like I have a time turner or anything. I have no idea what's going on." Regulus simply sipped his beer thoughtfully.

"It seems that I can't just modify your memory and send you back outside then," he said. She glared at him.

"Great. Thanks a lot." Her shoulders slumped and she looked extremely pitiful. Her short black hair was still wet and plastered to her forehead. Her blue eyes were poofy and red. He had to admit that he did feel rather bad for her.

"Here," he said, flicking his wand at her. She jumped, but immediately noticed that her clothes were now dry. She ran a hand though her hair to find that it was dry as well.

"Oh," she said, looking down at her clothes. "Thank you." He nodded and stood up from his seat. She watched curiously as he went to a cabinet and pulled out a large bottle full of some kind of liquid.

"Now, why don't we toss your muggle alcohol and have some of this instead. I still have some questions, but this should help you relax somewhat." She watched as he poured two shot glasses for them.

"Is that firewhiskey?" she asked, eyeing it carefully.

"Yes, it is," he said, quickly throwing back a shot.

"Oh good, now we're moving on to hard liquor," she said, holding up her shot. "Cheers, I guess." She gulped it down and almost immediately regretted it. It went down pleasantly warm at first, but suddenly burned and she choked. She coughed for a few seconds and hit herself on the chest. "That is terrible!" she cried, once she could breathe again. He began to laugh and she stared at him.

"Muggles don't have anything similar?" he asked, still chuckling. She shook her head.

"I mean we have cinnamon flavored liquor, but nothing that extreme. I thought I was going to explode!" she said, gesturing wildly.

"It gets better after the first shot, I promise," he said with a smile. She frowned at him. His smile faltered.

"Why are you being nice to me?" she asked. It was his turn to frown. "You're a Black and you're a Death Eater. Why haven't you killed me?" He looked down at the table in silence.

"I don't know why I would tell you of all people this, but I suppose you already know everything about me, don't you?" She shrugged, but remained very attentive. "I'm not sure if I want to be a part of this any longer." He said. They were silent again. Juniper could hear the firewood popping in the fireplace. "I think you can help me," he said, finally meeting her eyes. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Me? I can't do magic. I'm rather useless to you, I think," she said, waving her hands. He shook his head.

"That doesn't matter. You say you know everything about this world," he said.

"Definitely not everything," she said.

"Well, maybe enough to help me bring down the Dark Lord. You do know about him, right?" he asked. She nodded.

"Listen, I'd love to help, but I need to go home. The loser is probably worrying about me, thinking I'm dead in a ditch somewhere. He's probably called together a search party…" She said hurriedly.

"You're married?" he asked, looking at her left hand. She rolled her eyes.

"No, and no way would I ever marry that slob. He'll be lucky if he finds a girl who will put up with him the rest of their lives," she said. "He's just a friend that I've known forever and I needed a roommate. But anyways-"

"Listen," he interjected, "I'll make you a deal." She frowned, but listened. "If you help me do this, then I will do everything that I can to get you back home," he said, grabbing her hand. "Please." Juniper stared at him. 'He does look rather pathetic,' she thought. 'And I do know a bit about the cave and the locket.' She sighed.

"Alright, fine." She said, leaning back in the chair. "I'll help you with this little adventure then." His face lit up instantly and she had to try not to smile.

"Wonderful! Thank you so much!" He was almost bouncing with happiness at this point, but he stopped instantly like he had just remembered something. He looked almost embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I never asked for your name." She laughed out loud at that.

"Juniper. My name is Juniper Musetta. You can call me June, Juniper, the loser calls me Gin, but it's up to you. I don't care," she said, grinning. He smiled in return, the first real one she had seen since she had arrived on his doorstep. She grabbed the firewhiskey and poured two more shots. "Alright, let's try this again!" she said, holding her glass out. He knocked his against it and they bother downed them. Once again she coughed and sputtered and he laughed at her.

After about four more shots each, they were both feeling the effects of the alcohol. Juniper was sprawled out in the chair, her ankles crossed on the table top. Regulus was in some sort of similar position.

"So, where is the rest of your family?" she asked, looking around. She hadn't even thought about it before.

"My parents are off on some holiday in France," he replied, twirling his glass on the table.

"Sirius has already left, hasn't he?" she asked, watching him closely. She wanted to see how he actually felt about his brother. She had always speculated, but this was straight from the horse's mouth. Regulus looked angry.

"He ran off a few years ago, off to those blood traitors, the Potters'," he said, dropping the glass on the table. Juniper sighed.

"Do you miss him?" she asked. She wasn't sure if this was the best question to ask, but hey, she was drunk.

"No," he said, angrily. "He left his family behind to go live with those muggle-loving-" He picked up the glass and threw it against the wall. Juniper jumped with a squeak.

"Hey now! There's a muggle in the room, thank you very much," she said. She stood up and put her hands on her hips as she glared at him. She rolled her eyes when he didn't look up and walked around the kitchen, trying to find something to sweep up the broken glass. There wasn't a broom in sight in this house. "How am I supposed to clean that up?" she asked herself. Suddenly the glass flew back together and sat on the ground like it had never been broken at all. She spun around and saw him still sitting in the chair, wand held in his hand.

"There, it's fixed," he said, still looking rather angry.

"That's cheating," she mumbled. She picked up the glass and set it back on the table. "Can we not break anything else tonight?" she asked. He yawned mid-nod.

"Are you ready for bed? We have a busy day tomorrow," he said, getting out of his chair.

"Yes, sir," she replied. She let him lead her up the stairs to the top floor of the house.

"This is my room," he said, pointing to one of two doors next to each other. "And this was my brother's room. You can stay in there for now. I'm sure he has some clothes that you can use. Either his or something he picked up from some harlot or another." Juniper laughed and nodded.

"I'm sure it'll be just fine, thanks," she said, smiling. Regulus stood there for a moment before nodding to her and opening his door.

"Well, good night, then," he said. "I'll be here if you need me."

"Good night!" she said, cheerfully. She opened Sirius' door and wasn't surprised to see the whole room decked out in Gryffindor colors. She opened the dresser in the room and was surprised to see that the drawers were still full. "Must not have taken much with him," she whispered to herself. She dug into the drawer until she found something acceptable. Pulling on the t-shirt and shorts, she threw her clothes in the corner. She was going to have to go shopping if she was planning on staying here. She yawned again and made her way to the bed. It looked very inviting and she didn't hesitate to throw herself down on it and cuddle up underneath the covers. Within moments she had fallen into a deep sleep.


	3. I Wanna Be Sedated

The morning came far too early for Juniper. The sun was already up, illuminating the dusty room. She rolled over and buried her head in the pillow. She didn't want to ever wake up. She was stuck in the past, let alone in another world. She knew it wasn't a dream because she was extremely hung over and the bed she was in smelled like boy and wasn't nearly as comfortable as hers was. She groaned and pulled the pillow on top of her head. She would have loved to stay like that all day, but her bladder had other ideas. She rolled out of the bed in a very ungraceful manner and ended up on the floor. Standing up, she threw the pillows and blankets back on the bed and left the room in search of the bathroom. This house was huge, so it had to have multiple bathrooms. She was just hoping that they were similar to muggle ones or she was going to have problems.

After a few moments of desperate searching, she successfully completed her mission and ran inside. She sat down in relief and closed her eyes. She opened them only to find a very large pair looking back at her. She screamed and fell off of the toilet, trying to pull up her pants.

"What the hell!" she cried, looking back up at the creature. She was sure it was a house elf, with its little body, huge eyes, and ratty old outfit. "Can I help you?" she asked, still lying on the floor. The house elf glared at her.

"Why is a muggle defiling the Noble House of Black?" It cried. "Filthy creature disrespecting the Mistresses' house!" Juniper was very afraid that it was going to attack her and she did not want to go out by being killed by the ugliest creature known to man in a bathroom of all places.

"You must be Kreacher," She said, glaring up at him. "Can you just lay off, please? I have a splitting headache and you're not helping." Kreacher glared at her and looked like he was about to pounce when the door flew open.

"What in Merlin's name is going on in here?" Regulus asked, looking just as sick as Juniper felt. He took in the sight before him and groaned. "Kreacher, please leave her alone. She's a guest." Juniper was surprised when the house elf backed off and bowed before disappearing with a small pop. "Sorry about that," Regulus said, pulling her up from the ground.

"No problem," she replied, brushing the hair from her eyes.

"He won't bother you anymore," he said, walking back out of the door. "When you come downstairs, I've got some potion if you're not feeling well." Juniper nodded and he closed the door. She turned to the mirror and inspected herself. Her hair was a mess, but nothing terrible. It was too short to get tangled. Her eyes were still red and swollen, but that too would go away. She really wished she had a toothbrush, but she would have to do without today. She left the bathroom and found her way back to Sirius' room. She changed back into the clothes she had worn yesterday and went downstairs to the kitchen. Regulus was dressed in different robes than yesterday and was making tea. Juniper had to admit this was much better than the burnt bacon and coffee that she was used to.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked, looking at her over his shoulder. Juniper groaned.

"Actually, I feel awful," she admitted, as she sank into one of the chairs. He brought over the tea kettle and a small bottle of a strange blue liquid.

"I figured as much. I think we drank a bit too much last night," he said. He handed her the potion and watched her expectantly. She uncorked the bottle and sniffed it. It didn't smell bad, but it was still weird. "You're supposed to drink it," he said with a smirk.

"No shit," she said, smiling. She raised the bottle to her lips and drank it in one big gulp. She was surprised that the taste wasn't bad at all. Instantly, she could feel her hangover disappear. Her head didn't hurt and her stomach settled down. "Wow," she said, her eyes wide. He smiled and took the vial from her.

"Works fast, doesn't it?" he said. She sighed happily and poured herself a cup of tea. He sat down across from her and did the same. "We have a lot to plan," he said, his face now completely serious. She nodded. This wasn't going to be an easy task.

"So, you want to go back to the cave, steal the locket and leave a replacement, correct?" she said, staring at the liquid inside her cup. He watched her thoughtfully.

"Exactly," he replied. "It's still very strange that you know everything." She smiled.

"Not as strange as ending up in a different time and place," she said.

"I can imagine," he replied. She giggled and he looked at her, confused.

"It's just so weird, but very exciting," she said. She looked up at him and smiled. "I know why you're doing this and it's the right thing to do. I'm going to help you as much as I can," she said. "Without getting in your way too much."

"I'm sure you'll be more help than not," he replied.

"I do have one condition," she said, with a rather sly grin. He looked confused. "We need to go shopping for some clothes. I'm not going to fit in anywhere with this outfit," she said, motioning to her clothes.

"I agree. We can do that today while we get some necessary supplies," he said.

After they finished breakfast, Regulus disappeared upstairs for a while. Juniper left him alone to do whatever it was he was doing and took it upon herself to explore the house. It was so strange being in the actual Grimmauld Place. It wasn't nearly as rundown as it had been described in the books. 'Probably because they're still living here,' she thought. Kreacher had kept the house very clean and tidy. She left the kitchen and made her way up the stairs to the first floor. She noticed one of the doors was open and stopped in front of it. 'This must be the drawing room,' she thought as she pushed the door farther open. The room was very large and very fancy. The huge windows flooded the room with light and illuminated the large tapestry on one of the walls.

"The Black Family Tree!" she whispered, walking closer to examine it. It was huge, almost taking up the entire wall. She wouldn't have even tried to count the number of small, gold embroidered names on it. She quickly scanned down the tree until she stopped at the most current Blacks. Regulus' name was underneath his parents, Orion and Walburga, and next to his name was a small burn mark where Sirius' name had once been. She touched it softly with her index finger; curious to see how it felt.

"What are you doing?" Came a voice from the doorway. Juniper jumped up with a squeak and turned to face the boy. He was leaning on the door frame with his arms crossed, an almost amused look on his face. Juniper could feel her face heating up and she hoped that all the light in the room was washing her out enough for him not to notice.

"I was just…" she began, feeling very embarrassed. "I was just looking around, I guess." He shrugged and pushed himself off of the frame.

"Well, if you're all done, then let's get going," he said, turning to leave the room. "We have a lot to get done today." Juniper nodded and jogged after him. She met him by the front door where he was checking his pockets.

"I don't need anything special, do I?" she asked. He shook his head and pulled out his wand.

"I don't think so. I don't think Diagon Alley should be a problem because you've managed to find my house just fine." She bit her lip. She hadn't even thought of that. She hopped this was all going to work out. 'What am I getting myself into?' she thought.

"So is that where we're going first?" She asked. She hoped it was, because she was super excited to see it with her own eyes.

"Yes, it'll be our first stop," he replied. "I'm going to apparate us there." Juniper could feel herself pale. She really wasn't looking forward to this. From everything she'd read, it was always made out to be a horrible experience. He looked at her and laughed. "You'll be fine, believe me." She jumped when she felt his hand take hers, but she didn't have time to dwell on it because she suddenly felt like she was getting squeezed to death by a giant python. She opened her mouth to scream, but her lungs were too compressed. Finally, she felt her feet on solid ground and sucked in huge gulps of air. She could feel Regulus' hand on her shoulder and she looked up at his concerned face. She also noticed that she had a death grip on his hand with both of hers.

"Sorry!" she said, quickly dropping her hands. "That was awful. I don't know how you just do that." He smiled and patted her back.

"You get used to it," he replied. Juniper took the chance to look around and had to force herself not to squeal like a twelve year old girl at a Justin Bieber concert. Diagon Alley was far more than she could have ever imagined. She felt just like Harry in the first book, trying to take in everything at once.

"Where are we going first?" she asked, bouncing up and down. Regulus rolled his eyes and pointed down the street.

"We need to go to Madam Malkin's first and pick up something decent for you to wear," he said, grabbing her arm and pulling her after him. She frowned.

"I don't have any wizard money, though," she said, attempting to stop. He only continued to pull her along.

"I have enough on hand to pay for it. We need to get you robes before we can go to Gringotts for more." She nodded and allowed him to pull her through the crowded streets. She was busy enough trying to take in all of the fantastic sights that they were passing. They stopped in front of the shop and Juniper's eyes widened. There were all kinds of interesting clothing items and she couldn't wait to jump in and look at them all.

"I don't know anything about what's stylish here," she said, as they walked inside. A small bell rang somewhere and a young, short, squat witch came out from the back room. She had a kind smile on her face and Juniper couldn't help but smile back. When Madam Malkin noticed who was standing in her store, she stiffened a bit, but quickly regained her composure.

"Hello Mr. Black," she said, walking over to them. Her eyes roamed over Juniper and her very out of place hoody and jeans. "What can I do for you today?" Regulus pushed Juniper in front of him.

"She needs some new casual robes," he said. The woman nodded and took Juniper by the hand.

"Come along then, dear," she said, pulling her to what looked like the women's section. "We just had a new line come in that would look perfect on you," she said. Juniper noticed a lot of stand robes as they walked towards the back of the store. There was one that was purple and so sparkly, she thought she may have gone blind from it. She tried to blink the spots out of her eyes as they walked.

"Here we are!" said the older witch. Juniper turned to see a rack of fairly plain, different colored robes. This was going to be very weird. She had never worn robes before and she had no idea how they were supposed to look when worn. The woman pulled multiple colors off of the rack and threw them onto Juniper's outstretched arms. "Try these for now, dear. I think the blue ones will look wonderful with your eyes." Juniper obliged and went into the small dressing room. She stared at the first piece of clothing. She had no idea how to get into it. She looked for buttons and couldn't find any. She resorted to pulling it on over her head and had some success. She inspected herself in the mirror provided, but nearly jumped out of her skin when it commented that red was not her color.

"Thanks a lot," she said, pulling it back off. She tried the dark blue one this time and the mirror seemed to approve. Well, at least it didn't call her fat or anything, so she assumed it looked alright. Her dark blue jeans were still visible underneath, but she had seen more than a few witches outside sporting the same style. She left the dressing room and stood awkwardly in front of the slightly older witch.

"Perfect!" She cried, clapping her hands together. "Much better than before." She led both her and Regulus, who had given an approving nod, to the register. They walked out five minutes later, Juniper wearing her new robes and Regulus carrying the bag with a few others.

"I can carry those you know," she said, reaching for the bag. He pulled it away.

"It's fine," he replied. Juniper frowned.

"You paid for them, the least I can do is carry them," she said, reaching for it again. He rolled his eyes and let her grab the bag

"Fine, if you insist," he said. She smiled and switched the bag to her other hand.

"And I do," she replied. "Where are we off to now?" He glanced at her and smiled.

"Gringotts," he replied. They walked in silence towards the large, white marble building. Juniper was excited to see the inside, but she was nervous at the possibility that the goblins would know she was a muggle. Would they feed her to the dragon? Would she fall out of the little cart and have to become a strange, cannibal hermit who lived in the depths and ate unwary travelers? She shuddered at the thought and her grip strengthened on her bag. They climbed up the stairs and Juniper had to tear her eyes away from the inscription on the big, bronze doors. It was just so rhymey and terrifying. She could feel her eyes widening as they walked into the building. There were tons of goblins around, all counting or doing something with gold and gems. She snuck a glance at Regulus and felt a little better because he didn't look concerned about anything. She watched as he chatted quietly with one of the goblins, who nodded in return. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she didn't want to move closer either. Finally, Regulus motioned for her to follow. She walked a couple feet behind them, glancing at her surroundings.

"You don't get motion sickness, do you?" Regulus asked. It took her a few seconds to realize he was talking to her. She shook her head.

"No, not usually," she replied. He nodded and bent down to speak with the goblin again. After walking down a hallway for quite a while, they finally reached one of the little black mine cart things. The goblin took his seat first and Regulus helped Juniper in next. They sat together in the back of the cart, the goblin sitting across from them, in charge of steering. Juniper looked over the edge of the cart and froze. She couldn't see the bottom anywhere, just some swirling mist. Her fingers clenched on the side as they began to move.


	4. Cherry Bomb

Well, I am glad to see that people have been reading! Please leave me some reviews if you've got some input. I'm a review whore, it's bad.

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><p>Juniper's stomach lurched with the cart as it began to move. They were quickly picking up speed and the cart bounced with every bump in the tracks. She caught Regulus staring at her with a worried look and she forced a smile. They descended what had to be miles underground. Juniper figured the Black's vault would be very deep where there was more protection. The Lestrange's had a freaking dragon in front of theirs. She really hoped they weren't going to have to pass any large, scary creatures on their journey. As the cart continued to zoom down the tracks for what felt like hours, Juniper could feel herself beginning to enjoy it a little bit more. Her common sense told her that the goblins wouldn't just let one of the oldest wizarding family members simply fall out of a cart. This made her feel much better and she could feel a grin spreading across her face. It was just like a roller coaster! She had always enjoyed those. She did, however, resist the urge to throw both of her hands in the air and scream. That would just be indecent.<p>

Finally, the trip ended and they all disembarked in front of a large door. The goblin placed his hand on it and she heard locks creaking open. The door pushed open to reveal a whole room filled to the top with stacks of gold, silver, and other fancy things. She couldn't hold back a few oohs and ahhs as they walked inside. Regulus rolled his eyes and pulled out a small bag, into which he put a couple handfuls of galleons. Their business done, the three left the vault and headed back to the cart.

The trip back up was just as eventful as the trip down and Juniper had a much better ride after getting used to it. They took a very sharp turn at one point and Juniper was flung to her right. She fell onto Regulus, who caught her by the arms and placed her back into her seat. She grinned apologetically and decided it was probably best to hang on from that point. They finally made it back to the surface and when Juniper got out of the cart, her legs felt like jelly. She was almost afraid that she was going to fall over, but the endorphins pumping through her system blocked it from her mind. They both staggered slightly out the front door of the large building.

"That was so exhilarating," She said, twirling in a circle, her hands above her head. She couldn't stop smiling. Any kind of thrill ride always did this to her, but she didn't mind. She felt fantastic. "I feel so alive! You know, I usually have to pay lots of money to go on rides like that. And they aren't even that exciting!" Regulus couldn't help but laugh at her antics. He slung an arm around her shoulders to reel her in.

"You're going to make a scene," he said, still laughing. She promptly stopped jumping around like an idiot, but her grin remained in place. She let him steer her around the corner until they walked down a very different looking street. Her grin quickly turned into a frown when she noticed all of the sketchy looking people hanging about. She unconsciously leaned in closer to Regulus as they passed a terrifying old woman, who Juniper thought might have been a hag. He tightened his grip on her shoulders and rubbed her arm reassuringly.

"This is Knockturn Alley, isn't it?" she asked. He nodded, not looking very happy to be there either. They walked in silence for a while before reaching an extremely creepy looking building. She could read the words Borgin & Burkes written in gold letters above the door. Regulus dropped his arm to open the door, which he held for her. She walked in and glanced around at all of the strange items. Regulus was already in conversation with one of the proprietors, so she decided to explore the store. She stopped in front a beautiful opal necklace and admired it. It was the prettiest thing she had ever seen. Until she read the card next to it, that is. It happily explained that the muggle death toll from the jewelry was up to nineteen. 'And almost one witch eventually,' she thought. This was the very same necklace that was going to send Katie Bell to St. Mungos in a few decades. She was beginning to feel a little sick and walked back to the front of the store where Regulus had just finished talking. The man behind the counter stared at her for moment with a very strange look. She dropped her eyes to the floor. What was she getting in to?

"Come on," Regulus said, grabbing her upper arm. He opened the door and they walked back outside. He stopped them a little farther down the street and turned toward her. He opened his mouth to speak, but they were interrupted by a woman's voice behind Juniper.

"Regulus? Is that you?" The voice asked. Regulus and Juniper both jumped and spun towards the person. The woman, who couldn't have been older than twenty-five, smiled and pulled the boy into a hug. Her long, blonde hair swung behind her as she did.

"Hello, Narcissa," he said, pushing her gently away. She smiled at him, her blue eyes shining, even in this low light. Juniper felt her stare on her face and hoped that she wasn't turning an embarrassing red color. Narcissa let go of her cousin to approach her.

"Hello," she said, politely, "I don't think we've ever met." She reached out a slender hand and Juniper shook it, well aware of the huge rock on the blonde's finger. "I'm Narcissa Malfoy. Regulus is my cousin." Juniper forced a polite smile onto her face.

"Hi, Juniper Musetta," she replied. "Pleased to meet you." Narcissa beamed and smacked Regulus playfully on the arm.

"Why didn't you tell me you were seeing someone?" She asked. There went the blush again. Juniper was positive it was there now. Regulus looked lost for words for a moment, but Narcissa simply laughed. "Well, I won't bother you two any longer; I'm off to meet Lucius for lunch. You should bring her over for tea soon." With that, she flittered away, her long hair flying behind her. Regulus and Juniper stood in silence for a few moments until Juniper couldn't handle it any longer and began to laugh.

"I'm sorry," she said, fighting through her laughter after seeing Regulus' confused face. "This is just so messed up. I'm in freaking Knockturn Alley and I just met one of the Malfoys and was invited over for tea." She took deep breaths, trying to regain her composure. Regulus smiled, but shook his head.

"We've got to be more careful. I wouldn't be surprised if she owled my parents about this," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I think we're going to have to move up the big day." Juniper bit her lip. She was totally not ready for anything life threatening. Neither of them said very much as they continued shopping the rest of the day, the cloud of dread hanging over them.

Juniper flung herself down onto Sirius' bed the moment they got home. She felt weird. The whole day had been strange and she was just looking forward to curling up in bed and never moving again. Well maybe not ever again, because then she would be dead, and she didn't want to be dead. A small coma would be more appropriate. She lay on the bed, staring up at the crimson canopy above her. She needed to sort through all of the things going through her mind, but she had no idea where to start. First, this whole living in the Black mansion was weird. Regulus was supposed to be a Death Eater who hated muggles, and yet, here she was, living in the room next door. She knew that he hated Voldemort and wanted to destroy the horcrux, but was that only because Kreacher had been left to die by Voldemort? Juniper wondered if he really knew what was involved in this. She knew Kreacher had told him what happened in the cave, but Regulus had no idea what he was in for. Even Dumbledore and Harry had trouble with it. She sighed and rubbed her palms into her eyes, only stopping when the little bright spots appeared. She rolled over on the bed and pulled a pillow over her head. She didn't want to think anymore and she tried her hardest not to.

She had no idea when she had fallen asleep, but it was already dark outside when she woke up. She yawned and stretched. She wasn't sleepy at all anymore and decided that getting out of bed would be her best option. She walked down the stairs to the kitchen, only stumbling down one of them. She grabbed herself a glass and filled it with water. She couldn't hear any noises from anywhere in the house and it bothered her. Usually there was some kind of movement. She sat in silence and sipped on her water, until there was a loud pop from behind her. She jumped and spilled the water all down the front of her shirt. She coughed and sucked in air, trying not to drown in the water that had been in her mouth.

"Sorry Miss," Kreacher said. She glared at him, sure that he was actually perfectly fine with watching her choke to death. She finally was able to breathe and wiped away the tears that had formed in her eyes.

"What's up?" she croaked. Kreacher rung his hands together and looked almost worried. He avoided her eyes at all cost, almost like he couldn't believe that he was talking to her.

"Master Regulus left some hours ago," he began, still looking away. She stared at him for two reasons. One: this was the first time he had ever spoken to her without threats, and two: she didn't even know Regulus had left at all and it scared her that his house elf sounded worried.

"Where did he go?" she asked. She instantly knew once the question had passed through her lips. Voldemort must have called him. She felt her heart drop. If Voldemort had learned anything about her or their plans, they'd both be in big trouble. She dropped her head into her hands. "Can you go check on him?" she asked, her voice muffled by her hands. She glanced up to see the house elf look torn. "Without being seen by anyone?" she added. He nodded, but didn't move. She frowned. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Master Regulus told me to stay here with Miss," he said, looking at the floor. Juniper blinked.

"He ordered you to stay here with me?" She asked. He nodded and she frowned. She had no idea what this meant. Did Regulus think it would be dangerous if Kreacher followed him or was he more worried about them being home without him? Then it hit her. "You're supposed to be dead, aren't you?" She asked the house elf, who nodded. That was right. Voldemort had left Kreacher in the cave to die, so no one would know where the locket was hidden. She groaned and rubbed her eyes again. "Ok, I know what we'll do. We have to wait for him to get home," she said. The house elf looked distraught, but nodded. She frowned, feeling almost as down in the dumps as he did. Then she had a brilliant idea. "Kreacher, do you know how to play cards?"

The hours rolled by until the front door finally opened. Juniper's eyes shot up from the cards in her hand to the disheveled boy standing in the hallway. His black hair was matted and gross and his eyes were dark and downcast. Juniper frowned and placed her hand of cards onto the table and stood up.

"You win again," she told the house elf. He smiled pleasantly to himself. "I know you're cheating somehow." She rolled her eyes and looked back to where Regulus had just been standing. The boy was nowhere in sight. She sighed and ran up the stairs to see if she could find him. She ran up the stairs until she reached the second floor and stopped outside of his closed door, panting a bit. She took a deep breath and knocked.

"Yeah?" he said from inside. Juniper took this as a 'come in' and opened this door. She had never been in his room before, and even though it was dark, she could tell it was the complete opposite from Sirius'. She found him lying on his bed, completely sprawled out, face down. She raised an eyebrow and sat down on the edge of the bed. She sat there quietly until he was ready to say something, but he didn't make a sound. She sighed and leaned up against the headboard, her eyes drifting around the room. Regulus' room was far tamer in decoration than his brother's. Juniper had to admit that the posters of half-naked girls on motorcycles were a nice touch on Sirius' part.

"I'm sorry," Regulus said, his voice muffled from the blankets. Juniper blinked in surprise.

"For what?" she asked. He rolled over onto his side and looked at her. She finally noticed how beaten up he looked. He had what looked like a black eye forming and a couple of red scratches on his cheek. She leaned over him and frowned. He sighed and pushed his face back into the bed.

"I should have told you before I left," he replied. She rolled her eyes.

"It's not a big deal," she replied. "If you were being called, then you needed to go." He looked back up at her, still frowning.

"It's almost scary how much you know," he said, propping his head up on his hand. She smiled softly.

"I'm sorry," she replied. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes, causing him to flinch. She rolled her eyes. "You need to fix yourself up," she said. He nodded through a yawn. She pushed herself off of the bed and moved towards the door.

"Hey," he said. She turned and looked at him. "Thanks for helping me out," he said, looking a little embarrassed. She grinned.

"There's nothing I'd rather be doing," she replied. She gave him a little wave and walked out of his room, closing the door behind her. She went back into her room and threw herself onto the bed. She curled up underneath all of the blankets and began to cry. She had no idea why she did, but she couldn't help it. She sobbed into the pillow, her tears soaking the red fabric. Why was she the one sent back in time to fight an evil monster that shouldn't even exist? She was the worst possible person for this job. She was practically useless, too. She couldn't even use magic, so how was she supposed to help in the least? She cried until there were no tears left and she fell into a deep sleep.


	5. Sheena Is A Punk Rocker

Okay kids, it's Towel Mike Monday on Regretsy (a site you should all check out) and Mike's amazing abs have gotten me all hot and bothered. This of course inspires me to write, though not as much as alcohol does, so here's an extra-long fun chapter yayyyy!

Obviously this was begun on Monday and it now going on Friday. I apologize for my slowness. If it's any excuse, I've been laying around doing nothing and playing Dragon Age while I should have been packing for school.

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><p>The rest of the week had passed uneventfully. They rarely left the house anymore and Juniper was beginning to get a little stir crazy. Juniper was the first one up that morning. She sat downstairs and sipped tea while reading the Daily Prophet. She had no idea who any of the people featured in the day's news were, but it was very interesting all the same. She stared at the pictures in the Quidditch section for more than a couple minutes. She was mesmerized by the players zooming to and fro on their brooms. One of the players from Puddlemere United was the featured player and there was a whole little section on him alone. She began reading it, but then was sidetracked about thoughts of Oliver Wood. If Juniper had a crush on anyone fictional it would be him.<p>

"Are you alright?" Regulus asked, walking into the kitchen. She snapped out of her daze and slammed the paper onto the table. She could feel herself blushing. He sat down across from her and stole the paper from her clutches. He scanned the page and looked up at her, one eyebrow raised. "Lusting after Quidditch players now, huh?" he asked, a sly grin on his face. She huffed and crossed her arms.

"No, I wasn't, thank you very much," she replied. Her face felt like it was on fire. It was a little embarrassing to be thinking about a supposed fictional character, who hadn't even been born yet. Regulus didn't seem convinced. His grin widened and he turned the paper back to her.

"Was it this one?" he asked, pointing to the featured player's picture. She rolled her eyes.

"No!" she cried. He laughed and folded up the paper, then leaned on the table towards her and put on a rather charming smile.

"You know, I played Quidditch for a while," he said. She stared at him and burst out laughing. "Hey!" he said, looking a little put out. "It's true. I was a Seeker for a little bit." She smiled and patted his hand.

"I believe you," she said, getting up from the table. She placed her tea cup in the sink and walked back towards him. "So what are the plans for today?" she asked. He shrugged, but his face darkened.

"I think we need to go for the horcrux tomorrow night," he said, looking down at his hands. Juniper nodded but frowned. She put her hands on her hips and watched him, deep in thought. Slowly a smile began to creep across her lips. He looked up and stared at her strangely. She grinned and shook her head.

"I'm going out for a bit," she said. He started to get up, but she motioned for him to sit back down. "Don't worry. I'm heading out in the muggle world." She ran upstairs and threw on her hoody and jeans, checking her pockets for her change from the future. She pulled it out and counted it. It should be just enough. She ran down the stairs, waving to Regulus before she closed the door. The house disappeared behind her when she made it to the sidewalk. She smiled to herself as she walked down the street, plans already forming in her head.

This was the last night before they were going to go after the horcrux and she knew that it was a possibility that they weren't going to make it back, so she was going to have the time of her life. She was back in the 70's after all. She smirked to herself in the mirror and ran her hands through her hair. This was going to take a lot of planning, but she knew exactly what she needed to do. This would be a perfect opportunity to get Regulus out of the house and deal with the bout of depression she knew he was in. She took a cab downtown and stepped out amongst the people out on their daily shopping. The atmosphere was so different here, compared to the stores in Diagon Alley. The muggle world was blissfully unaware of the war being waged right underneath their feet. She proudly strode down the street until she found the type of shop she was looking for. There were a few boys outside, all in ripped up clothing, smoking cigarettes. She put on a hard-ass look and walked past them, ignoring the calls sent her way.

"Where are you going, babe?" One of them called. She rolled her eyes, but stopped. She pulled a fresh pack of cigarettes out of her pocket and placed one between her lips. She walked back over to the boys and smirked.

"Are you going to light this for me or what?" She asked, on hand on her hip. The boy grinned and held out his lighter to light it. She inhaled and smiled. She turned and left, leaving the other boys to make fun of the kid. She stood outside the promising store and finished her cigarette, finally throwing it down and putting it out with the heel of her shoe. She entered the store and was happy to see that she had made a good choice. The store was dimly lit with music playing in the background. The woman working the counter was wearing an old band t-shirt and leather pants. She smiled at her as she walked inside.

"Hey, what can I help you with?" she asked, walking from behind the counter. Juniper grinned.

"I'm planning on showing my boy the time of his life tonight," she said. "He doesn't get out much, so I need something for both of us to wear." The girl grinned back and nodded.

"I got just what you need," she replied, motioning for her to follow.

Juniper spent at least an hour trying on different outfits. Regulus was much easier for her to shop for. She knew exactly what he would look good wearing. She opened the dressing room door for what felt like the thousandth time and walked out to see what Sheri, the store keeper, thought about the outfit. The girl grinned and clapped.

"That's perfect," she said, patting Juniper on the back. "You'll turn heads for sure." Juniper admired herself in the huge mirror and grinned back. She made what she thought was a bad-ass face and twirled to see herself in all angles. She had to admit, she did look pretty damn good.

"Definitely hot," she said. "I'll take it all." She left the store feeling very happy with herself. She carried the three heavy bags through London, not even wanting to take a cab back. She walked down the busy street; waving back to people she didn't even know. 'Man, was this the time to live,' she thought. When she was in situations like this, she didn't even miss the present.

When Number 12 popped up in front of her, she rapped twice on the door and it swung open. She knew she had been gone for a couple hours, but she hoped Regulus hadn't been worrying.

"Where have you been?" he asked, almost falling down the stairs as he ran to meet her. She grinned and waved, placing the bags at her feet.

"I was only out shopping," she replied, quite touched that he had been that worried. He placed his hands on her shoulders and took a good look at her face, as if to make sure she was unharmed. His eyes landed on the bags and they narrowed.

"I see that," he said. She rolled her eyes and threw one of the bags at him. He caught it and looked confused. "That's for you," she said. "I've got mine right here." She said, holding up her bag. He reached a hand into the bag and pulled out a pair of jeans. He looked from them up to her. "Are you serious?"  
>"Of course I am," she said, a smirk on her face. "I wouldn't worry about those. There's much worse in that bag and I expect you to be in them by eight tonight." She smiled and walked straight up to her room, or Sirius', if you were being particular, and closed the door. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was already five. She had been out far longer than she thought. She made a running leap on to the bed and giggled as she bounced a bit. Tonight was going to be great. She only hoped Regulus wouldn't hate what she had in store.<p>

She awoke a few hours later and fell out of bed when she got a glimpse of the clock. The door opened and Regulus' shadow fell across the room. She groaned and popped her head up over the side of the bed. She looked at him and grinned.

"I see you're all ready to go," she said, pulling herself back onto the bed. He rolled his eyes and pulled at the hem of his shirt uncomfortably.

"And I see you aren't,"he replied. She gave a lopsided grin and rolled back off of the bed, onto her feet.

"Yes, well, my beauty sleep is important." She pushed him out of the room. "Now stop fussing and get out." Once the door was shut securely behind him, she threw the bag of clothes on the bed and got started. After a bit of struggling, she moved on to the bathroom to finish up her make up. She was glad money went a little farther in the 70's or she would have never been able to afford all of this. She blew a kiss to herself in the mirror and grinned. This was going to be awesome. She left her room and sashayed downstairs to the kitchen where Regulus was waiting. He looked up at her and his eyes widened.

"What are you wearing? "He asked, his voice incredulous. She struck a pose and grinned.

"You sound like my mother. This is what's hot right now!" She motioned to her tight jeans and leather top. "I think I did a pretty damn fine job shopping for the both of us." He sighed and shook his head.

"And where are we going in these outfits? "He asked, though he didn't sound like he really wanted to know. She grinned.

"We are going to have a damn good time," she said. She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the chair and towards the door. "Don't wait up, Kreacher!" She called over her shoulder. She grinned as they left the house. The air was crisp and a little chilly, but it was perfect for going out. She made her way down the side walk and Regulus fell into step next to her. She was rather surprised that he hadn't complained more. She had dressed him in muggle clothes and was now leading them off into the night. She reached into her pocket and lit another cigarette. She heard him sigh next to her. She looked up and saw him frowning.

"That is such a dirty habit," he said. He almost looked as if he was pouting. She had to struggle not to laugh.

"I'm sorry, dear," she said, though she didn't put it out and he didn't mention it again. They walked down the dark streets in silence, though she could see Regulus was fiddling with his wand, which was tucked up in his sleeve. She linked her arm with his and smiled at him.

"Sorry," he said. "I'm just nervous." She laughed.

"Nervous about my plans or about other things?" she asked.

"A little of both," he replied. She rolled her eyes and smacked him.

"You don't trust me?" She asked, looking up at him. He looked taken aback.

"Of course I do," he said, "I just don't know about these crazy plans you come up with."

"Don't worry about it. It'll be a good time and you need to get out more." They walked for a little longer until they were close to their destination. She could hear the music already and was growing more excited by the minute. They were going to have so much fun! She was pumped. Regulus did not look so excited.

"Where exactly are we going?" he asked, raising his voice as they approached a door from where the loud music seemed to be emanating. She smiled and opened the door, exposing a huge stage that was filled with people. She grabbed his hand and pulled him inside.

"It's a concert!" She yelled over the music. "Haven't you ever been to one?" The look he gave her indicated a solid no. She grinned and led him through the crowd of people towards the stage where a few long haired men were playing instruments. She had no reservations about pushing people out of her way and it astounded him. When Juniper finally found an adequate spot, she stopped and began to dance. Well, it wasn't exactly what he would describe as any dancing he'd ever seen, but he didn't know what else to call it. She quickly noticed that he was simply staring at her, looking uncomfortable. She rolled her eyes and grabbed his hands, pulling him into the strange moves she was making. After a few songs, Juniper was happy to say that he was finally loosening up. She moved back from him and danced on her own, singing along with the band.

"How do you know this music?" He asked her over the music.

"It's still well known in the future!" she replied, doing a little spin.

"Really? I've never heard of anything like this," he said. She turned back to him and raised an eyebrow.

"That's surprising to you?" she joked. He shrugged and she laughed at him.

"Hey," she said, suddenly grabbing his arm. "Lift me up, will you?" He looked more than a little confused. She smiled and pointed up.

"I need you to lift me up," she repeated. He responded quickly as she grabbed his shoulders and pushed herself up. He grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up as she had asked. She then terrified him by jumping up out of his grasp onto the crowd. He let out a breath of relief when the people responded and lifted her above their heads. She was passed from person to person, grinning the whole way, until she finally made it to the foot of the stage, where she was let down. She quickly rushed back through the crowd to where Regulus was still standing. She waved at him, smiling apologetically.

"Sorry," she said. "Crowd surfing is so much fun, I had to do it."

"You could have said something," he replied, looking a little angry. She pouted, but had to laugh when she saw a smile breaking through his angry façade.

"You should try it," she said, pointing off into the crowd. He shook his head.

"Absolutely not," he replied. She shrugged and went back to dancing. This continued uninterrupted for a while, until a girl appeared out of nowhere into her personal space. The girl pushed her way past Juniper and stopped in front of Regulus. She leaned in to say something that Juniper couldn't hear and giggled. Regulus looked thoroughly confused and Juniper sighed. She walked up and tapped the girl on the shoulder. She turned, her smile fading into a scowl when she saw Juniper.

"Can I help you?" she asked, looking her up and down. Juniper smiled and nodded.

"You can back the hell off, thanks," she said. The girl laughed and turned back to Regulus. Juniper rolled her eyes and tapped the girl on the shoulder again.

"What are you? His gir-" The girl was promptly cut off by the impact of Junipers fist hitting her mouth. The girl fell to the ground in tears and Juniper daintily stepped over her. Regulus' eyes moved from her to the girl on the ground. She grabbed his arm and began to pull him away.

"Come on, we'll move over here ," she said, her tone sharp. Regulus said nothing, but followed her. She took him to the bar and ordered them drinks, as well as a bag of ice for her hand.

"I can't believe you just punched that girl," he said, taking a sip of his beer. She smiled and set her ice bag down so she could drink hers as well.

"Yeah, well, cheers to my right hook, I guess." He laughed and hit his cup with hers. She poked at her hand and winced. Punching people wasn't really a past time of hers and she was definitely feeling the effects. Regulus took her hand and inspected it. It was quite red with a few small cuts from the girl's teeth.

"I can fix this when we get home," he told her. She smiled and ordered them more drinks.

About an hour and five drinks later, Juniper was feeling pretty good. Other than her hand, which was throbbing rather painfully. Somehow, she had no idea how, she had become more than slightly intoxicated. Regulus seemed fine, which was kind of pissing her off. He had cut her off on drinks and even her pout would not budge him on the subject. So of course, she had gone back to dancing again. She was in the middle of this when Regulus grabbed her good hand and pulled her through the crowd towards the exit. She was exhausted and was not up to fighting with him, so she allowed herself to be dragged through the mass of people. The night air hit her and she felt instantly refreshed. She slipped her hand out of his and dug in her pocket for her pack of cigarettes, but freaked out when she couldn't find them anywhere. She stopped and was about to pat down all of her pockets, when she noticed Regulus was holding them out to her. She smiled and grabbed them from him. She quickly lit one up and he grabbed the pack back from her.

"I'm rationing them now," he said, putting them in his pocket. "You would have finished them all in an hour if I hadn't taken them." She shrugged and smiled.

"That's because I was drinking," she replied, as if that made sense to anyone other than a smoker. He shook his head and reached back down for her hand. They walked the rest of the way home without another word, although Juniper did swear a few times after tipping over a misplaced curb.

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><p>Ok, so this wasn't an extremely long chapter at all, but it might be the longest so far. I have no idea. I don't keep track of these things. So I don't know if this chapter was weird. Is it weird? It felt right, but I have no idea and I no longer care because it's already written. Anyways, I love you guys and your reviews and favorites and shit. You're adorable. All of you, damn it.<p> 


	6. Whiskey and Rye

So as you may have noticed every chapter title is usually the song I was listening to when I wrote them. I don't think I've ever listened to so much Joan Jett before in my life. Anyway, this chapter is Whiskey and Rye which is a line in the song Do You Wanna Touch Me, but I didn't really want to make that the chapter title. So if you aren't familiar with the songs, you should definitely check them out. Also, this chapter wasn't supposed to be a whole chapter, or even exist really, which is why it's so short. Sorry. Hope you enjoy it anyways.

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><p>Juniper woke up the next morning wrapped up like a cocoon in her blankets. It took her a good five minutes to untangle herself. Thankfully, she wasn't feeling sick in the slightest, but her hand was sporting a lovely bruise. Regulus had fixed it up pretty well, but he couldn't make the pain go away completely. She ran her hands down her face and groaned. Why had she punched that girl? Sure, she wasn't the nicest person, but she didn't usually go around punching people. She didn't even want to think about what Regulus thought about it. She wasn't sure if he had even enjoyed himself last night. She sighed and got out of bed to start the day. It was still very early by the time she made her way downstairs. Regulus didn't appear to even be up yet. She yawned and made herself some tea.<p>

Tonight they were going to the cave and she was terrified. She knew she was going to have to be in charge of this little mission. Well, in charge as in telling Regulus what to do, but he was going to have to be the one to fight. She let her head fall to the table. This was going to be awful. She wished she was able to go through the book again and figure out what exactly they needed to do. She could remember the crucial parts, but not the small details. With that in mind, she picked her head up off the table and zoomed upstairs. She ran into the study and found a quill and some parchment. After fighting with the quill for a few minutes, she managed to finally get it to write without splotches. She scrawled Regulus' name at the top and scribbled away until she was satisfied. She reread it and crumbled it up and threw it over her shoulder, starting over. It took two more attempts, but she was finally happy with the results. She folded it up into a fancy little note, just like she used to do in high school. She stuck it in her pocket and returned to her room to pack some things.

Regulus finally came downstairs a few hours later, looking terrible. Juniper frowned at his appearance. He looked like he hadn't slept all. She tutted and made more tea, giving him a cup as he sat down at the table.

"You look like crap," she told him. He simply looked at her. She rolled her eyes and sat down across from him. "It'll be ok. Nothing we can't handle."

"Juniper," he began, looking down at his hands. "I don't know how to say this, but-" She could sense where this was going and quickly intercepted the sentence.

"You think I'm beautiful? The best thing that ever happened to you? I agree with all of the above," she said, fluttering her eyelashes. He took a deep breath and shook his head.

"I don't think you should come with me. It's going to be dangerous and you're not a witch. There's no way for you to protect yourself," he said. He looked even worse than before. Juniper sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Regulus," she said. She placed her hands on the sides of his face, forcing him to look up at her. "If you go without me, you'll die." She dropped her hands, but kept eye contact. He stared at her for a moment, but dropped his eyes back to the table.

"I can't drag you into this," he replied. She rolled her eyes. This was starting to make her mad.

"I can't just let you die and that's what will happen to you. I know!" She said, a little louder than she probably should have.

"It's better than something happening to you!" He replied, standing up from the table.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" She yelled. She didn't want to fight over this. It wasn't a question that she was going with him. Her being there meant the difference between life and death and she knew it. Of course, the little voice in her head told her that it was possible they'd both die anyways, but she ignored that.

"You're not coming and that's it." He turned and stomped back upstairs. Juniper winced when she heard the door slam.

"Idiot," she whispered to herself. She fell back into her chair, her head in her hands. She told herself not to cry, that it was stupid, but she couldn't help it. She felt so useless. She roughly wiped the tears from her face and set her jaw. She was sick of crying. She was Juniper Musetta, the girl who decks people at concerts, she didn't need to cry. She grabbed the pack of cigarettes off the table and strode out the front door.

She had no idea where she was going, but that wasn't new. She walked purposefully down the street, cigarette in hand. She needed to cool off and take a breather. This whole past thing was far too confusing for her own good. She couldn't understand why Regulus was being so difficult about going after the horcrux. They had decided on this a long time ago and she thought the plan was already in place. Of course, he didn't know her whole plan, but that was part of the…plan. If he left without her then she'd just follow him somehow. She had no idea how, but she'd figure it out when she needed to.

She had walked around the block four times before she decided to head back into the house. She took a deep breath before opening the heavy door. Everything was silent inside and she didn't hear any movement. She crept up the stairs and pressed her ear against Regulus' door. She didn't hear anything at all, so she decided the best course of action would be to simply walk in. She did just that and found him sitting on the edge of the bed. He didn't look up at her, even as she stood in front of him.

"I'm sor-" He began. Her hand hit his cheek with a resounding smack. He looked up at her in surprise and she put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

"Shut the hell up." She said. He returned her glare and opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. "You aren't doing this alone. I know you think this is all your fault and you need to make things right, but it's not. It's the work of some fucked up psychopath. We all have things that we regret. We all make mistakes, but you can't make them right by yourself. You need to trust me." She could feel tears welling up in her eyes, but she viciously fought them back. His glare faded and he simply stared at her. "I can't let you go in there by yourself. I can't let you die." Her voice was little more than a whisper at this point and she cursed the tear she felt streaking down her cheek.

His grey eyes seemed to reflect the sorrow that she felt. She didn't pull away when she felt his arms wrap around her waist. She let him pull her closer until she lost her balance and fell on top of him, pushing both of them back onto the bed. She threw her arms around him and buried her face into his neck, finally allowing the tears to flow freely. She felt the hair on the side of her head become damp and knew he must be crying as well.

"You need my help," she said in a muffled whisper. "Please don't push me away." She sniffled and untangled herself, lifting her body off of him. She stood awkwardly next to the bed, trying in vain to wipe her eyes. He pushed himself completely on the bed and sat with his legs folded, watching her silently.

"I'm sorry," she said. She ran a hand through her hair and reached for the door handle.

"June," he said, softly. She turned and looked at him, surprised at the use of her nickname. "Don't leave." She felt like she had turned into a puddle at that moment, the sound of his voice and the look on his face had just made her melt. Her heart made an uncomfortable jump and she dropped her hand from the door knob. She took a few steps towards the bed and fell onto it. She propped herself up on the headboard and curled her legs up against her chest. Regulus moved up to sit next to her and intertwined his fingers with hers. They sat quietly, watching the birds chirp happily in the tree outside his window.

"I'm scared," he whispered, breaking their silence. Juniper turned to face him. He avoided her eyes and looked down at their hands instead. She squeezed his hand and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Me too," she replied. "But you know, we're just going to have to go in there and kick some ass." She nudged him with her shoulder and giggled. She saw him smile and he nudged her back, a little harder than she had done, so that she almost fell over. She let out a kind of squawk and quickly tried to right herself. Once she did, she glared and shoved him with both hands so hard that he actually fell off of the bed. She burst out laughing at the surprised face he made, but quickly stopped once she saw that he was out for revenge. She squeaked and grabbed a pillow to protect herself. He rolled his eyes and tried to grab it from her, but she managed to smack him with it. She allowed herself a victory cry and tried to move backwards across the bed, but he grabbed her ankle and pulled her back. She pulled the pillow in front of her face and peeked around it. He crawled up to her and stole the pillow out of her grasp. She pouted and he simply grinned before smacking her with it.

"That was just rude," she said, smiling.

"Oh, like you didn't start it," he replied, rolling his eyes. She shrugged and simply smiled up at him. He looked like a huge weight had been lifted off of him and his smile reached his eyes. Juniper had never noticed how pretty his eyes were when they sparkled. Whoa. She had no idea where that came from. Ok, well she did, because she was very well aware that he was practically straddling her at the moment. Although she wasn't sure if he had noticed yet. She grabbed the pillow out of his hands and tossed it backwards off the bed. He tried to lean farther and grab it, but she was too fast. His hands were on either side of her head on the bed and she tried to hold back a devious grin. God, she was awful. But she didn't care. He looked down at her and she looked up innocently with big doe eyes. His face slowly moved towards hers and she could feel his breath lightly upon her lips. She felt her eyes flutter closed and her head lifted up as if by itself. She couldn't help but smile. She had no idea when this had all begun, but she wasn't worried about details. She could practically feel his lips on hers when there was a knock at the door. She felt him tense up and she dropped her head down in defeat.

"Master, Kreacher has returned with the items you requested," the elf said through the door. Juniper had never wanted to kill someone so badly before. She felt Regulus begin to move away and threw all inhibition to the wind. She grabbed the back of his head with her hand and pulled him back down to her level.

"I don't think so," she growled. He stared at her for a second, before he grinned. He brought his lips down to hers and she thought her heart skipped a beat. She wrapped her arms around him, one hand tangled in his black hair. The kisses started out sweet enough, but then both of their pent up emotions came into play. Juniper hooked her leg over his hip and flipped them over so she was now on top. She sat up to catch her breath for a second, when the knocking happened again.

"Master-" Kreacher began. Regulus let out a frustrated sigh.

"Thank you, Kreacher. I'll check it out later," he replied. Juniper laughed at him. He shook his head and wrapped his arms back around her waist, pulling her back down. They quickly resumed where they had left off until Juniper had a chance to glance at the clock.

"Shit," she said, pushing herself up. Regulus looked up at her and she pointed to the clock. "It's almost eight. We've got to get going." It took all of her will power, but she managed to untangle herself from him. She held out her hand and once he grabbed it, she pulled him to his feet. He looked so adorable and mussed up that she couldn't help but giggle. He raised his eyebrow and she shrugged.

"Don't worry about it," she said. "Let's go kill some shit." She left the room and he followed close behind her. They went down to the kitchen where Kreacher was waiting for them. He eyed them suspiciously as they walked in and Juniper tried really hard not to laugh. On the table was a bag that she figured was their supplies. She stopped and ran back up to her room, ignoring the looks the two gave her. She returned a moment later, her own bag in her hands.

"What's that?" Regulus asked.

"Some stuff I thought might be helpful," she replied, setting it on the table next to his. "Can you make these water proof? There's swimming involved." Regulus nodded and muttered a spell as he waved his wand.

"Right, well, Kreacher is going to take us there and then we're on our own," he said. Juniper nodded. She was more nervous than she had ever been in her life. Her insides felt like they were twisted into knots, but she had to admit that she was excited. This was something she had never expected to do and she knew that they were going to make it out alive. She patted her pocket where the note she had written earlier was stored. She would give it to him at the right moment. There was no reason to worry him too early.

"Are you ready?" he asked. She let out an unsteady breath and nodded. It was now or never.

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><p>Alright, so dear, lovely readers, please keep letting me know what you think.<p> 


	7. Neutron Star Collision

I'm so sorry I made you guys wait this long. I know it's a lame excuse, but I've only been back at school for 3 weeks and I've already had 3 art projects and a paper. It's ridiculous. Also, I while I was packing for school (aka throwing random shit into bins) I realized that I am somehow missing my Chamber of Secrets and Half-Blood Prince books. **Which the latter obviously poses problems with this timeline!** I think I've got it worked out now though. Also excuse the total shift in decades for the chapter title/song. I love Muse. Not Twilight, but Muse is awesomesauce.

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><p>Juniper was shocked by the force of the wind blowing off of the sea and would have stumbled if Regulus hadn't been holding her arm. She stared out at the stormy water and gulped. The situation was finally weighing heavily on her nerves. She turned to the boy next to her and found that he was watching her intently. She realized that he was waiting for her to lead the way, since he had just dismissed Kreacher with the order not to return unless he was called. She scanned the cliff in search of the entrance, but she had no idea where it was. She couldn't see anything but sea spray and rocks. She bit her lip nervously. Then, the tide rushed out for a split second and she saw it. She adjusted the bag on her back and took a deep breath. She grabbed Regulus' hand and dove into the chilly water, pulling him along behind her. The water was cold, but she ignored her chattering teeth and swam as fast as she could towards the fissure in the rock. She could feel Regulus next to her and his grip on her hand tightened as they were pushed by a rather large wave. Fatigue was quickly catching up to her and she felt her kicks get slower and harder. She was struggling to breathe between the large waves crashing over them. When at last she thought she wouldn't be able to make it, she felt Regulus pull her up onto solid ground. She collapsed onto the stone floor and gasped for breath. He sat down beside her, looking just mildly out of breath. She would have glared, but she didn't have the energy. How the hell was she supposed to make it through the actual cave, when she was already worn out from swimming?<p>

She rolled onto her back and watched as he touched the rock wall, trying to find the way inside. She had been dreading this part. She knew there was going to be worse when he found out about her plan, but this wasn't going to be fun either. She pushed herself up and stood next to him silently. Her eyes fell on a small slit in the rock wall and she shivered. She took the bag off of her shoulder and dug through it, ignoring the feeling of Regulus' gaze on her. She felt her hand close over cold metal and pulled it out. In a quick move, she flicked open the knife and ran it across her left palm.

"MotherfuckingbastardSHIT," she screamed, dropping the knife.

"What did you just do!" Regulus yelled, snapping out of whatever daze he had been in. He grabbed her wrist and tried to open her hand. She yanked it out of his grasp and wiped her bloody hand across the stone. They both stared at the wall, waiting for something to happen.

"That had better be enough," Juniper growled, cradling her hand to her chest.

"That was way more than enough!" Regulus cried, grabbing at her hand. She finally relented with a sigh. He quickly went to work trying to close up the wound, while she watched the wall. Finally, a single drop of blood ran down the wall and joined the majority of the splatter and an opening appeared.

"Yay!" Juniper said, jumping up and down. Of course, then it hit her that this wasn't even the worst part of the journey and she fell silent. By now, Regulus was done with her hand and they both shared a look before walking through the doorway. He used his wand to light their way as they walked through the inky blackness.

Juniper's eyes focused on the creepy green glow ahead of them and she felt her stomach drop. The lake was black and as still as glass. She thought about the dead things underneath its surface, waiting to drag them down. She pictured Regulus getting slowly pulled down into the darkness and almost threw up. She could feel her hands shaking as they grasped the straps of her bag. She didn't realize that she had stopped walking until Regulus hooked his arm with hers. She looked up at him, her eyes reflecting the fear that they both felt. She tried to force a smile and began to walk towards the edge of the lake.

They stopped a few feet away from the surface and stared out at the vast amount of water separating them from the glowing island in the middle. She shivered and grabbed his hand, the contact making her feel at least a little safer. She gently tugged on his hand and began to walk along the narrow ledge that led around the lake.

"We need to find the boat," she whispered. She was terrified that any noise or movement would awaken the Inferi, though the rational side of her knew that they had to touch the water for that to happen. He nodded in the darkness, his wand still held aloft in the hand that she wasn't clinging onto. They walked in silence for what felt like hours and she couldn't tell how far they had actually gone. Regulus was actually the ones to stop them. He dropped her hand and grabbed his left arm as if he had been burned. He suddenly let go of it and spun around so that he was facing the lake. Juniper tried to jump towards him as he reached the very edge of the pathway, but he put a hand out to stop her.

"I think I found it," he said, reaching out into the air. After a minute of feeling around, his hand closed on something. Juniper stared at him, completely shocked that he was able to find it so easily. Then again, Dumbledore hadn't had any trouble with it, but that was Dumbledore. She assumed that Regulus was able to feel the effects of Voldemort's magic through the dark mark.

"Tap it with your wand," she replied. Once he did so, the chain appeared and began to raise, what Juniper assumed was the boat out of the water. Regulus let go of the chain and stepped back next to her. They watched in silence as the boat bobbed to the surface and began to drift towards them. Juniper couldn't help but agree with Harry on the size of the boat. It was really freaking tiny. She and Regulus weren't large people by any means, but this was going to be a squeeze.

"Are we going to fit in there?" Regulus asked, staring down at the tiny vessel.

"Don't touch the water," she said. She glanced up at him and he nodded. He carefully climbed into the boat and held out a hand to her once he was situated. She took it and tried to ease her way into the boat, but her shoe caught the edge and she stumbled forward instead. Thankfully, Regulus was able to stop her fall and the boat only tipped a little bit. She choked out a cry and collapsed onto him, burying her face in his shirt. She tried to stifle the sobs that were escaping, but she failed. Regulus wrapped his arms around her, trying to get her to calm down. After a moment, she finally was able to breath, but she didn't move. She could feel the boat moving and she knew what was all around them. She didn't want to see the bodies floating in the water. She didn't think her nerves could take it. Regulus was completely still; except for the hand he was running through her hair.

"We're almost there," he whispered. She knew he had seen them too, but she didn't say anything. She didn't move until she felt the boat bump into the side of the island. Regulus gently lifted her off of him so they both could stand and climb onto the platform. Juniper walked shakily towards the glowing basin in the middle of the island. She knew what was about to happen and she was terrified. She turned around to face Regulus, who was only a step behind her. He looked tired and scared, which was only intensified by the green glow of the potion. He looked down at her, confused as to what she was staring at him for. She tried to smile, before throwing her bag on the ground and rifled through it. She stood up and he recognized one of the goblets from his house clenched in her hand. She stepped backwards toward the basin and he understood what she was trying to do. Kreacher had told him about the potion and its effect.

"I'm sorry," she said, dunking the goblet into the green liquid. Anger flashed over his face, quickly replaced by terror as she brought the cup to her lips and swallowed the contents. She coughed and made a disgusted face, but leaned onto the basin to refill her goblet. Regulus rushed to her side, but she would not let him take it away from her. "Don't listen to what I say," she whispered her voice hoarse and her eyes closed. "Even when I scream. And don't give me water or those things will come out."

She brought the goblet up again and downed the next glass. She reached to fill it once more, but she found that she moving was suddenly very hard and painful. She felt hot tears begin to run down her cheeks. She gasped for a breath, but felt like her lungs were desperately empty. She couldn't possibly reach it like this, but then she felt something warm on her wrist. She barely registered that it was Regulus' hand taking the goblet from her. She looked up at him; blinking through her tears she could barely see his face. Her vision was becoming extremely blurry, but she could see the look of pain in his eyes and the tears that were beginning to form. She watched him fill up the glass for her and she felt herself smile softly through her pain.

After that goblet full, she couldn't register anything, but agony and terror. She could see nothing but blackness and it felt as if her throat was being torn to shreds from her screams. She couldn't remember why she was being hurt like this, but she begged the person doing it to stop. She just wanted it to end. She was beginning to see images flash before her eyes. Regulus was crumpled on the stone floor screaming for death. Then, she looked on helplessly as he was dragged into the water by the pale, dead arms of the creatures in the lake. She begged for someone to stop the visions and the pain. She couldn't take it anymore. She wanted to die. She had no concept of time and every second felt like a lifetime. Her throat felt like it was closing up, but she continued to scream.

Then, the pain seemed to stop. She was so thirsty. Something in the back of her mind told her that water was bad, but she wanted it more than anything. Her throat was on fire. She could feel herself moving, but she didn't know why. She felt cold hands on her skin that felt amazing compared to her feverish state. She could begin to hear someone desperately calling her name. She opened her eyes and struggled to focus on the person in front of her. She blinked and stared into his grey eyes.

"Regulus," she croaked. His face lit up and he quickly brought his lips down to her forehead. She realized it was him that felt so cool and that he was holding her in his lap, huddled next to the basin. She suddenly felt more alert, though her body was taking longer to catch up. She looked around to see a ring of fire surrounding them and numerous Inferi prowling outside of it. They were even worse than she imagined. They were ghostly pale and waterlogged. She shivered and Regulus tightened his grip on her with one arm. The other was maintaining the fire with his wand. She could tell he was getting tired and she had no idea how long he could keep it up.

"You've got the locket, right?" she asked. He nodded. "Then let's get out of here." She tried to stand up, but found she couldn't go past her knees. She felt completely drained and stumbled back to the floor. In one quick motion, Regulus grabbed her and slung her over his shoulder. She grabbed onto his shirt for dear life as he made his way towards the boat. She could tell that he was clearing a path with the fire as they went, though some of the Inferi were following them rather closely from behind.

"Behind you!" she cried. He quickly turned and shot at them with more fire, giving them enough time to reach the boat. Instead of carefully climbing into it this time, he jumped in feet first, making the boat splash unstably. Only once it began to move, did he set her down in boat. He remained standing, focused on keeping the Inferi at bay. Juniper felt like all of her energy was gone and she slumped to the bottom of the boat, incapable of moving an inch. She had never felt so tired in her life. Voldemort was such a sick bastard. She struggled to keep her eyes open. Finally, she felt the familiar bump of landing and Regulus picked her back up. Once they were on the shore, the lake was once again completely calm.

After a moment, Regulus set her down on her feet, but she still couldn't stand. He ended up carrying her on his back the rest of the way around the lake. She kept her arms loosely around his neck and placed her head down on his shoulder. She felt bad for making him carry her. She couldn't be the easiest thing to carry. But then again, after today, it was probably the easiest thing he had done. They reached the wall where the blood door had been, but it had closed on them. This time, Regulus sliced his hand and wiped the blood on the wall. The glowing archway appeared once more and he ran through it towards the sea. Juniper held on as tight as she could without choking him to death while he swam them back to the nearest piece of land. Her whole body felt like it had gone numb from the cold, but it was almost refreshing compared to the searing heat of the pain. When they reached a fairly flat rock, he helped her up first. She staggered and fell to the ground, her whole body shivering. Regulus vaulted onto the rock and pulled her up to him.

"Come on, June," he whispered into her hair. "Please stay with me. Only a little bit longer, I promise." She felt the strange feeling of apparition begin and everything went black.

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><p>And now I have to be up in less than 4 hours for class. I hope you people are happy damn it. Also, excuse my grammar spelling on this one. I'll check it in the morning.<p> 


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